Carton



7 Oct. 11, 1960 D. c. BARTON 955,734

I CARTON Filed Aug. 13,1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Do/VN C. BARTON W EATTORNEYS 0d. 11, 1960 D. c. BARTON 2,955,734

CARTON Filed Aug. 13. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Do/vn/ CBARTON BY W United States. Pat' t CARTON Donn C. Barton, 506 Main St., Portland, Conn.

Filed Aug. 13, 1956, Ser. No. 603,640

Claims. (cl. 229-16 This invention relates to cartons for shipping and merchandising units of a packaged commodity such as canned goods and products packaged in pasteboard containers. It is an object of this invention to provide an improved carton wherein the packaged goods may be attractively displayed without removing the units of the commodity in question from the carton and without interfering with or disturbing the goods as originally packed in the carton. 7

Another object of this invention is to provide a carton whereby substantial economies may be achieved in the retail sale and dispensing of a packaged commodity.-

Heretofore in retail stores such as grocery stores and supermarkets it has been necessary for the majority of the employees of the establishment when stocks on the shelves become depleted to be engaged in restocking the shelves, leaving few employees to assist customers. Restocking the shelves in the conventional way is a time-consuming and diificult task. Thus when the goods are received in a conventional carton, the carton is very difiicult to open by hand and even with a cutting tool a considerable amount of time and eifort has to be expended. After a carton has been opened then it is the practice in most stores to stamp the price on each 'item and then individually stack the items on the shelves. In carrying out this operation the prices are usually stamped on the top row of cans or other packages in the container. next row exposed, which in turn has the price stamped on each individual item, which items are then individually stacked. For the rows of items under the top row the operation becomes more diflicult since the store employee has to work at a level below the edge of the con tainer and has to lift the packages out an extra distance that is awkward. f

Features and advantages of this invention relate to the provision of a container which may beyreadily opened and preferably may be opened without the necessity for using special tools. this invention relate to a constructionwhereby' even though there may be two tiers or rows of cans or other packages each of the items in each row may be individually stamped with the price without removing any of the items from the container.

Other features and advantages of this invention relate to the provision of a carton which, after it has been opened and the prices have been stamped -on the individual items without removing the items from the container, may be used as a display unit without the necessity for individual stacking and placement of the packaged units on the store shelves. 1

Further features and advantages of this invention relate to the provision of a carton whereby the items'in question may be readily inventoried in a store by counting the display containers rather than counting individual cans or other packages.

Fur her feat r and advantages t i inventiop re:

Other features and advantages, of

These are stacked on the shelves, leaving the 2,955,734 Patented Oct. 1 1, 19 0 late to the provision of a carton which is simple in construction but may be cheaply and easily manufactured and that has the utility and advantages above mentioned. A further feature and advantage of the carton of this invention is that it is readily disposable after it has been used.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description of the typical embodiment thereof that has been shown for purposes of illustration in the accompanyingv drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank used in fabricating the carton; a

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the blank'when part of the folding and joining steps have been accomplished; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carton with the rear and side panels in completely assembled relation with the bottom and the top and a portion of the front coverin open position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the carton after the cover has been closed and the carton has been placed in condition for shipment; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the carton showing how the bottom may be opened up for exposing the lower tier of the packaged items. 7

The carton shown in the accompanying drawing comprises a rear panel 10, side panels 11, atop 12., a bottom 13, and upper portion 14 of the front panel and a lower portion 15 of the front panel. The top 12 has the marginal strip 16 along each side thereof which are adapted to be down-turned as shownin Figs. 2. and 3 and to which the ears 17 projecting from the upper rear, side, and front panels, collectively, are referred'to herein and in the claims as the vertical portion of the carton.

Merely by the simple operations which have been mentioned above, the carton is readied to be placed in condition for receiving the goods to be shipped therein. Thus the side panels 11 may be inturned so as to be atright angles to the rear panel 10 and the rear panel folded with reference to the bottom 13 so that they fall within the marginal strips 18, as shown in Fig. 3. sition the commodity in question, such "as-two tiers-of cans,'may be introduced in the carton. T hereupon the top 12 is moved pivotally about its rear margin where i it is joined to the back panel 10 so as to bring the top 12 to'the position shown in Fig. 4 with the marginal strips 16 overlying the end panels 11. In thus closing the top of the carton the lower margin of the top portion 14 of the front panel overlies the lower portion 15 of the front panel and where these margins overlie the margins may be caused to adhere to eachother by local applications 20- of adhesive. While the applications 20 of adhesive serve to lock the parts of the carton together in closed position, one may, if desired, as for handling heavy units,-

place one or more bands, such as the metaltie bands 2 1 shown in Fig. 4, about the carton. Such bands are well known and widely used and once having been applied they provide great strength while at the same time they 7 may be readily broken and removed; When the bands 21 are employed one, alternatively, may tuck theextremities of the upper portion 14 on each side of the: notch 25 inside the shorter lower portions 15 and omit; the adhesive applications 20. :1 plications 20; are or are not employed, the upper. and;

Whether the adhesive ap- In this po lower portions of the front panel are to be regarded as readily separable.

When the contents of the carton of this invention that has been described hereinabove in connection with the accompanying drawings is to be placed on display in a store, all that is required is to break the tie bands 21 and to break the union between the upper and lower portions of the front panel where they are joined by the adhesive applications 20. These operations may be readily carried out when the carton is inverted so as to be in the position shown in Fig. 5. While in this position, and because of the construction of the carton, the bottom 13 may be opened up and swung out of the way pivotally about the rear margin of the bottom where it is joined to the rear panel 10. The store attendant may then stamp the price on each item in the tier of cans or other packages which are thus exposed by swinging open the bottom while the carton is inverted. After this operation has been completed, then the bottom may be swung back to its original position and the carton turned rightside up, whereupon the entire upper tier of cans or other packages may be exposed by opening the top 12 so that the items in this tier likewise may be stamped.

Upon stamping the individual items with the price in the simple and convenient way thus provided without removing any item from the carton, the goods in question are ready to be placed on the store shelf and here again many hours of labor may be saved by avoiding the necessity for removing the items individually from the carton and stacking them on the store shelves. All that is required is to place the carton on the shelf with the upper portion of the front panel and the top out of the way. The contents of the carton then become as readily observed and as readily accessible as though they were not in the carton. At the same time the short lower portion 15 of the front panel is held upstanding and acts as a retainer for keeping the contents in place against accidental dislodgment, and in a neat condition. If it is desired to entirely remove the top 12 and the upper portion-14 of the front panel, such removal may be effected along the line 22, which may be weakened as by scoring so that there may be a ready separation along this line. Alternatively, the top 12 and the upper portion 14 of the front panel or the top 12 from which the upper portion 14 has been removed may be left connected with the rear panel as, for example, when either or both of these parts have advertising display material thereon. Another available utilization for advertising display is that of tearing off the top 12 along the line 22 and then inserting it in the rear of the carton between the contents of the carton and the rear panel so that the upper portion can be exposed with a suitable display thereon that is observable by the prospective purchaser.

Preferably the lower portion of the bottom panel has an upstanding central tab 23 which may be used in any way that is desired in the display of the merchandise. For example, a detachable marker 24 may be placed thereon with the price appearing in large letters so that the customer will not have to remove a can and look at it closely for the purpose of determining its price. Where the lower portion of the front panel has the tab 23 upstanding therefrom the upper portion 14 of the front panel preferably is provided with the notch 25. In this way any legend on the tab 23 may be observed even when the carton is closed for shipment. Moreover, the contour where the upper and lower portions of the front panel are secured in detachable relation by adhesive applications are such as to permit convenient separation of the parts, and for this purpose openings preferably are provided on each side of the tab 23, as shown, so that the extremity of the upper portion 14 of the top may be manually grasped for opening the carton without using a tool.

In utilizing the carton of this invention for store display purposes, it is a further advantage that the cartons do' not have to be placed on the store shelf one at a time. Thus a plurality of cartons may be prepared in the manner above described by marking the contents and opening up the top so that the contents are ready for display. When in this condition the cartons with the contents thereof may be stacked one on top of the other and the goods in effect are the same as though individually stacked except that at intervals there are horizontal trays and vertical partitions which are an advantage in holding the goods in proper position against their being accidentally upset and which hold the goods in attractive, neat order at all times. When the contents of one carton has been exhausted, then all that is necessary is to remove the empty carton, which is light in weight, thus exposing the carton underneath, and the stock continues to be accessi -ble to customers with a minimum of preoccupation of employees in restocking shelves. Since the carton parts may be unfolded to the substantially fiat condition of the original blank, the cartons may be readily disposed of without the necessity for straightening them out as by stepping on them or tearing them apart, as is required when a conventional carton is used.

Since the number of units in a carton is always the same, a store attendant may conduct his inventory very rapidly merely by noting the number of cartons which have not as yet been used and the number of units remaining in those cartons from which some of the contents has been removed by customers.

While a preferred carton structure has been shown having the several features and advantages hereinabove referred to, it is to be understood that this has been done for illustrative purposes and, while the features and advantages of this invention may be enjoyed to the full when all of the features thereof are employed conjointly and in combination, some of the features of this invention may be omitted with corresponding deprivation of the advantages flowing therefrom, but while utilizing other features and gaining the advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. A carton for shipping and merchandising units of a packaged commodity which comprises a rear panel, side panels, a front panel, a top and a bottom, said side panels being joined to said rear panel along the vertical margins thereof, said top panel being joined to said rear panel along the upper margin thereof, and said bottom being joined to said rear panel along the lower margin thereof, said top and bottom being unsecured to the top and bottom margins of said side panels, and said front panel being joined to the forward edges of said top and bottom, respectively, and having an upper portion and a lower portion that are secured together in readily detachable relation whereby upon detaching said portions of said front panel from each other the top may be swung open pivotally about its rear edge when the carton is upright and while the contents of the carton are resting on the bottom and, upon inverting the carton, the bottom may be swung open pivotally about its rear edge and while the contents of the carton are resting on the inner surface of said top, side strips secured to said bottom in upturned position normally overlying the outer surface of the lower margin of the respective side panels in unsecured relation thereto, said side strips being secured at their forward ends to the ends of the lower portion of the front panel and said upper portion of said front panel constituting substantially all of the front of said carton except for said lower portion that is of substantially less vertical extent than said upper panel whereby when said top and said upper portion of the front panel are raised out of the way the contents of the carton are readily observable and accessible from the front of the carton.

2. A carton according to claim 1 wherein said top adjacent the rear margin thereof is weakened along a tear line affording ready detachability of said top 3. A carton according to claim 1 which comprises a tab upstanding from the lower portion of the front panel said upper portion of said front panel may be readily grasped.

4. A carton for shipping and merchandising units of a packaged commodity which comprises a vertical portion including rear, side and front panels, said front panel consisting substantially entirely of readily severable upper and lower portions, and comprising a top and bottom and comprising vertically disposed marginal strips which are secured along the side edges of said top and of said bottom and are secured at their forward ends to said upper and lower portions, respectively, of said front panel, said marginal strips overlying the top and bottom margins of the side panels in unsecured relation thereto, said upper portion of said front panel being integrally joined with said top and constituting the major portion of the vertical extent of said front panel, and said lower portion of said front panel being integrally joined with said bottom and constituting the lesser portion of the vertical extent of said front panel.

i 5. A cartonaccording to claim 4 wherein said lower portion of said front panel constitutes an extension ofthe said marginal strips secured to said bottom and the extremity of said upper portion of the front panel substantially overlaps said lower portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 155,246 Von Miklos Sept. 13, 1949 881,567 'Ferres Mar. 10, 1908 1,272,185 Baden July 9, 191.8 1,499,994 Marx July 1, 1924 1,649,211 Bitzer Nov. 15, 1927 1,770,226 Bliss July 8, 1930 2,154,538 Shivers Apr. 18, 1939 2,180,691 Oliver Nov. 21, 1939 2,361,597 Buttery Oct. 31, 1944 2,675,165

Roshkind et al Apr. 13, 1954 

